Krystal of Cerinia
by James R. O'Neill
Summary: Krystal is 8 years old and living a peaceful life on Cerinia, when a strange vortex in the night sky drops a very strange visitor. Shortly after his arrival, Krystal begins having very realistic dreams that make her rethink her place in the universe.
1. Something Special

**Okay guys, this is a new story about Krystal's time on Cerinia. I had the inspiration for this from a song on my mp3 player, but I assure you it's not a song fic. The words of the song do not dictate the story. So enjoy!**

Chapter 1: Something Special

The eveming sun smiled serenely down on Cerinia, bathing it in it's warm glow. The green grass sparkled and bent in the breeze that ruffled the fur of a certain blue female kit as she ran laughing through a large field with her friends. They were playing tag, and a blue male fox cub was chasing Krystal through the tall grass, breathing heavily unable to keep up with his blue furred prey. As he chased her, his loin cloth caught on a weed stem, and he tripped face first into the dirt.

Still laughing, Krystal brushed her bangs out of her eyes and jogged a safe distance away from the boy, who was picking himself up of the ground. "You giving up so soon?" Krystal taunted him smiling wickedly. Her friends gathered around her to join in the bear poking.

"Yeah, Symin! You can't let Krystal beat you! Get up!" Symin dusted himself off and pouted frustratedly at his friends.

"It's not fair!" he complained pointing an accusing finger at Krystal. "I'm only 7 and Krystal is 8! I can't keep up with her!" Krystal gave him a pitying look.

"Oh, I'm sorry." she fake sobbed into her hands. "I didn't know a big, strong 7 year old couldn't handle a girl only a year older than him!" Symin glared childishly at Krystal. Taking the initiative, he darted forwards running straight at her. She smiled beneath her hands, sensing his frustration and dirty tactics. Krystal laughed and somersaulted away as Symin's hand tried to tag her. The other children scattered about laughing as Symin continued his pursuit of the elusive blue furred female kit.

"I'm...going...to...get....you!" Symin screamed swiping desperately at Krystal. Krystal giggled and continued dodging his unfocused attacks. The other children laughed at the pitiful scene, as a slash just missed Krystal.

After a few minutes of this, Symin was getting tired. Taking one last swat, which Krystal dodged easily, he plopped down in the grass and began to cry. The other children laughed harder at the pathetic looking fox cub, blocking out the sorrowful emotions with their telepathy.

Krystal, being of a kinder nature, smiled sympathetically down at her friends weeping form. She knelt down beside him and placed a delicate hand on the crying boy's shoulder. Her mother had always taught her to apologize when she hurt someone's feelings. "Sorry, Symin. I thought it would be funny." Krystal apologized trying to look her friend in the face. "Are you alright?" Symin razed his gaze to meet Krystal's. There were tears sparkling in his eyes but he wiped them quickly away on his arm.

"Yeah. Thanks Krystal." She helped him to his feet and smilingly sadly she turn to shout at her friends. "Sorry guys! I'm going to walk Symin home!" There were groans from the group and calls of "goodbye!" as the two blue foxes walked side by side across the field and into the forest.

As they emerged into the large area where their tribe's village was located, the two friends smelled the scent of roasting fish. All around them people in loin cloths hustled and bustled carrying large red colored fish to their houses. Krystal sensed the excitement of her fellow tribesmen as they disappeared inside their mortar houses with their dinner. The fishermen had obviously had a good catch! She turned to her friend with an eager impatience. "Come on! Let's go before all the fish is taken!" Symin nodded and rushed after Krystal into the sea of hungry Cerinians. Dodging incoming feet, the two foxes slipped between the bodies of their kinsmen in the direction of Symin's hut. As the unimpressive living structure came into view, the friends saw Symin's mother disappear into it, carrying 3 large fish in her arms. Her friend licked his lips with a greedy hunger. He sprinted towards his family's hut.

"See you later, Krystal!" Symin yipped back over his shoulder. "Thanks for walking me home!"

"Bye!" Krystal waved, watching her friend disappear behind his curtain door. She knew her mother would be so proud of her when she heard! She might even give Krystal a whole fish for herself as a reward! It made her excited just thinking about it! Krystal ducked back into the crowd and headed for home. As she wove her way through the tangles of legs that blocked the clearing, she thought how lucky she was that she hadn't horn that awful chest cloth! It would have restricted her movement, and in this crowd, agility was a necessity!

Doing a quick sidestep to avoid an oncoming pair of legs, Krystal ducked into her own home. As she pulled aside the curtain separating the hut from the rest of the village, she scanned the room cautiously for any sign of her mother. She'd be furious if she found out Krystal had been outside without proper covering! The coast seemed to be clear on the physical front, but Krystal could sense her mother's presence in the open roofed room where food was prepared. She appeared to be seasoning a fish. Judging that her mother was well and truly too occupied to notice her arrival, Krystal began tip-toeing across the dirt floor to the foot of the stairs. Apprehension showed on the girl's face, her jade eyes darting back and forth between the stairs and the curtain into the preparatory on her left. Her muzzle was parted and her teeth showed under the white face fur. Not far now. If she could only make it up the stairs to her—

"Krystal? Is that you?" Krystal flinched at her mother's silvery voice.

"Yes, Mamma!" she responded, hoping her mother would stay where she was. Her prayers were answered because her mother didn't appear, but even this faint salvation instantly damned her.

"Would you please come here for a moment? I need your help with something!" Krystal gulped. Normally, she would have loved the opportunity to help with dinner, It made her feel like a real vixen for a change, but not when she was trying to cover up a transgression.

"May I run up to my room first?" She called tentatively.

"No. Now if you please!" Came her mother's answer. Krystal tried to mask her feelings of guilty fear, but she knew her mother's telepathy was much stronger than hers. The 8 year old kit couldn't hope to conceal anything from the 28 year old vixen. Feeling like a girl condemned, Krystal walked slowly over to the curtain and held it open while she slipped through.

The preparatory was warmly lit by the throws of a cooking fire. Two large fish roasted over the dancing flames and smoking embers, gathering a dark brown texture to their red skin. Krystal's mother Kayryn was leaning against the right wall, arms folded, fingers drumming on her upper arm like storm rain, her lazuline fur tinted with orange from the fire's glow. Her dark blue eyes pierced Krystal with a look of disapproval and her mouth was scrunched to one side.

Krystal quailed under her mother's gaze, giving a defiant pouting stare to the ground. She folded her arms too, and her fluffy tail swished nervously behind her. Neither mother or daughter said anything for several minutes. Finally, Kayryn began in a quiet, stony voice, "Well? What do you have to say for yourself?" Krystal didn't answer. She feared to open her mouth lest she say something that could get her into even more trouble.

When no answer was forthcoming, Kayryn began again. "How many times do I have to tell you before you'll wear it?" Krystal remained silent. "Krystal, why won't you wear the chest cloth?" Kayryn asked her daughter exasperatedly.

"Because," Krystal muttered uncooperatively. "It's stupid."

Her mother rolled her eyes and looked down at Krystal. "Sorry. "It's stupid" isn't a valid answer!" She took the cloth her daughter had neglected from a table to her left and bent down to begin tying it around Krystal's exposed front. "You must wear this now, at all times!"

"Why?" Krystal whined defiantly. "It's uncomfortable, it stops me moving right, and it's down right ugly!" The fox cub squirmed as her mother finished fastening it around her.

"Well, you'll have to get used to it." Kayryn straightened and took a few steps towards the roasting fish, checking to make sure they had not burned. "Your nearly 9 years old now. A girl your age needs proper covering."

"But," Krystal protested. "Joly's 8 and she doesn't have to wear one of these!"

Kayryn went on poking the fish and sprinkling different seasonings onto their scales. "Joly hasn't begun her metamorphosis yet. Her breasts haven't begun their transition. Yours however," Kayryn paused to glance at her daughter's chest, "have."

"But they only stick out a little bit!" Krystal whined feeling her breasts through the cloth. "It's hardly even noticeable!"

Kayryn chuckled at her daughter's resistance. She walked over and took Krystal by the shoulders, kneeling down to look her in the eyes. "You know Krystal, you're always talking about how you're ready to be a vixen! How you want to be beautiful, and you want to want to grow up lean and strong and be a huntress! But you still complain about wearing something as basic as a chest cloth!" the blue vixen smiled and continued. "I'm sure you'll get your wish Krystal! Your metamorphosis has already begun, even though your still a year or so early for it. You'll probably grow up to be the most beautiful vixen in the village! But in order to get there, you'll have to grow up! Everyone has to, eventually."

As she talked, Kayryn began the process of taking the fish off the spit, sliding the sharp stakes out the fishes' mouths, and placing each on the table. "All vixen's have to wear chest covering! You can't just walk around with your breasts hanging out all over the place!" Krystal began following her mother around the room, hanging on her every word, and helping prepare the fish for eating. "You'll find you get a lot of strange looks that way!"

"But momma, I can't run as fast when I'm wearing this! It makes it hard to breathe!" Krystal complained. "And I can't do flips or somersaults either!"

Using a large knife, Kayryn began cutting the fish up into small pieces, picking through the white meat and removing any bones she could find. "I had the same trouble when I was your age!" Her eyes took on a nostalgic glint as she thought of her own transition. "I didn't like the feel of the cloth either! I wasn't used to the restriction, and it rubbed my back and nipples raw! I wanted to throw it away, but my mother wouldn't let me!" Kayryn finished her cutting and began scooping the meat into stone bowls. "But you know what?"

"What?" Krystal prompted.

Her mother smiled a kind smile. "I got over it. After a while the cloth stopped hurting me, and I got used to the feel of it, and I could do all the things I normally would again! I could do somersaults, handstands, back flips, you name it!" Kayryn smile widened and she handed a smaller bowl to her daughter. "My point is you will, too. No matter how uncomfortable it is for you now, soon you won't even notice it!"

Krystal wasn't entirely convinced. "I still don't want to wear it." She said sulkily, popping a piece of fish into her mouth.

Her mother smiled at her and picked up her own bowl. "Tell you what, your father hasn't come home yet so we'll eat on the roof and watch the sun go down." Kayryn tempted her daughter. "Sound good?" Krystal chewed on her fish quietly. She had to admit, that did sound good. The roof was one of Krystal's favorite places to eat, especially at night, when she could watch the stars come out. Her mother poked her teasingly. "Huh? Huh? What do you say?"

Putting down her bowl, Kayryn began tickling her daughter's stomach. Krystal giggled at her mother's attack, and tried only half heartedly to get away, clutching her bowl tightly so as not to drop it. In spite of her efforts, she collapsed into her mother's lap, relinquishing the bowl of fish to Kayryn. The two began rolling on the ground, laughing in happy enjoyment of the tickle fight. Finally, in a breathless voice Krystal managed to say something like: "Okay! Okay! I give up!" Kayryn laughed and ceased her assault, rolling onto her back and panting to catch her breath. After a few moments of rest, mother and daughter both got up and retrieved their respective bowls, and ducked out of the room, heading up the stairs to the sleeping rooms and the ladder to the roof.

"Momma, guess what I did today?" Krystal said excitedly. In all the fuss she'd forgotten about her selfless deed, and now intended to boast thoroughly about it.

Krystal and Kayryn lay sprawled out next to each other on the roof of their hut. Both vulpine were full to the brim with well cooked fish, and now watched as the pink sky turned dark blue and stars began winking into view. Krystal felt the cool evening air caress her all over and cuddled closer to her mother for warmth. Kayryn placed a blue furred arm around her daughter's shoulder and hugged her close. The two enjoyed these little moments. For a kit as active as Krystal, and a vixen as busy as Kayryn, times like these came very seldom, but when they did, both Kayryn and Krystal relished them. It made them feel a since of emotional intimacy with each other, made them feel connected by some unspoken bond.

Krystal gazed into the ever darkening heavens above her. To her left the moon was climbing into the sky as the night crept ever closer and darker. It was only a slight scratch on the blackening canvas, but it still glowed with a fierce brilliance. Krystal found herself wondering what might be up there. Was there anything besides these twinkles in the sky? And if so, was there anyone or anything looking up at the same stars, wondering the exact same thing she was?

"What are you thinking about?" Kayryn asked her daughter. Krystal became aware that she'd let her emotions run wild and her mother had sensed them. Still, it was nothing to be ashamed of.

"Space." Krystal said quietly. "I was wondering if there's anyone out there among the stars!"

Kayryn smiled and scanned the night sky too. "If there is, they probably wouldn't even look like us."

"Do you ever wonder, Momma?" Krystal asked.

Kayryn sighed and thought for a moment. "Not really, no."

"Why?"

"I suppose I just don't think about it that often." Kayryn said meeting her daughter's eyes. "I have such a good life here. Why should I worry about what goes on out there?"

Krystal was a little disappointed. She had been hoping it wasn't just her that was curious, that she had someone to relate to. She'd asked all her friends at one time or another, and they had either never wondered or they didn't care that much. No one shared her fascination with the unknown. It depressed her slightly.

She lay back down and settled herself in her mother's arms, looking up at the stars again. She hoped someday, she could get answers to that question she'd just been wondering. Suddenly, a shooting star streaked across the sky. Krystal sat up, eyes widened. She pointed at the place the star had just been. "Look, Momma! A shooting star!"

Kayryn sat up too, clasping her daughter about the shoulders. "Oh good for you! Quick make a wish!" Krystal nodded excitedly and squeezed her eyes shut. She thought about what to wish for: A new loin cloth? No. A fancy huntress's staff? Maybe. She had to make this count, she couldn't let this chance go to waste! She screwed up her eyes and thought hard. Better hut? Gold? To be beautiful? World peace? No! Krystal thought and thought and finally whispered.

"I wish for....something special!" She didn't know how to state it better. Her mind was being indecisive, and she had decided to just let the universe handle the details. Krystal looked out over the dark landscape of her homeland. The forest beyond the village torch light was sheer darkness, and she couldn't make out any recognizable sounds. The only things she heard was the wind blowing and night bugs chirping. Nothing out of the ordinary here.

Feeling let down, Krystal lay down again and looked up at the stars. "What did you wish for, Krystal?" Her mother asked. Krystal gave her a sad look.

"Something special."

Kayryn looked confused. "Like what?" Krystal shook her head.

"Just something," She sighed.

Mother and daughter lay on the roof for several more minutes, enjoying the night air and each other's company. But finally, Kayryn stretched and sat up. "Krystal, I think it's time to we go inside and prepare for sleep." Krystal yawned. She was tired, but being the classic 8 year old, wanted to stay up.

"But Momma, I'm not----tired!" Kayryn smiled and began lifting the kit to her feet.

"Come on, little one! Down we go!" She began pushing Krystal back towards the ladder that led to the lower areas.

As Krystal began climbing down, the sky started to brighten rapidly. Kayryn stared in wonderment at the sky, bewilderment and awe flooding her emotions and face. Krystal leaped back up onto the roof, standing beside her mother. She too, gazed in fearful awe of the amazing sight above them. The sky was bright like morning, and a thousand different colors swirled above her head, like a whirlpool. The light spiraled down into a large dark hole, which Krystal's gaze couldn't penetrate. The earth trembled, rocking the back and forth throwing the two female foxes to the rooftop. Krystal clutched at her mother's loin cloth, who in turn grabbed the edge of the roof. Everything shook and Krystal began feeling nauseous, but she didn't relinquish her grip on her mother's cloth. "What's going on, Momma?" Krystal screamed over the roar of the earthquake. She didn't get a verbal reply, but instead received a mental message so weak that she wouldn't have believed it possible it could come from her mother. _Don't worry Krystal! Everything will be alright! Just don't let go!_ Krystal, of course, had no intention to let go.

Hanging on for dear life, Krystal watched the light show in the sky. The light swirled ever faster and faster, spinning in a never ending circle around the black hole. Krystal thought that it was shaped like a giant golden eye, evil and menacing, tearing the home she loved apart stone by stone. Without warning, from out of the pupil of the eye, several fireballs began flying straight for ground. They came faster than lightning bolts, and hit the ground with a loud boom, skidding across the surface and coming to a halt several miles away. With the release of these flaming projectiles the vortex faded into nothingness, taking with it the awful shaking. Kayryn released her grip on the roof's edge and reached down to comfort a sobbing Krystal, who was still clutching her mother's loin cloth. The two embraced trembling all over with fear, shock and relief. They lay there sobbing for at least 10 minutes, shaken by the cataclysm that had befallen them. Calls began coming from all around the village, asking for aid and an explanation of what had just occurred.

Far away, several miles from the village, one of the fireballs, now revealed to be an angular starfighter, hissed and steamed in the long skid mark it'd made on crash landing. After a few moments, the cockpit was pushed open and a chestnut colored animal stumbled out. He was so lucky just to be alive! He thought the black hole would have been the end of him, but, somehow, he'd survived. He thanked his lucky stars for G-diffusion technology! Without the G-diffusers to cushion the impact of the fall, he probably wouldn't be here now! Still, where was here? He knew he was in some kind of forest, but that was about it. His shoulder hurt pretty bad, and he was sore all over! He wondered if the crash had dealt with the Venom forces that had been chasing him. It seemed almost certain, seeing as Venom ships didn't use the pioneer G-diffusion technology. As far as he knew, Arwings were the only ship period that used G-diffusers.

That being said it was dark and he was tired. Not wanting to risk radiation poisoning by staying close to the Arwing, (he didn't know what the black hole had done in terms of radiation) he decided to try a small cave that he could just make out close by. Climbing back up into the cockpit, he reached into a recess under the dashboard and withdrew a blaster pistol. Closing the cockpit behind him, he jumped down and slowly began making his way towards the cave.

**Interesting No? Leave a review! Hope you enjoyed it!**


	2. The Visitor with Black Eyes

**Okay. Kinda running low on ideas today. So let's hope this comes out right. Enjoy!**

Chapter 2: The Visitor with Black Eyes

Krystal slowly opened her eyes as the sun crept in through her window. Her ears twitched and the kit let out a soft yawn, turning away from the regular annoyance. Her body had stopped quivering but the aftershock of the night's events still had some hold on her. She hadn't slept much that night. Who could? After such a catastrophe, anybody would have troubled sleep. Every time Krystal closed her eyes, she could see the vortex swirling in all its terrible beauty in front of her jade colored eyes. The memory was made even worse by the guilt she was feeling. Wishes were powerful things, and in the wrong hands, in her hands, things had gone badly. Hadn't she wished for something "special" to happen? Didn't she want something miraculous? Well, she'd certainly gotten what she wished for alright. Krystal felt like such a fool! Now, not only weren't things any better, but were in fact worse than before!

A small tear dripped onto the floor from Krystal's cheek. She wiped away similar tears as the small drops of salty water rolled over her face fur, leaving it clumped and itchy. Krystal sighed. She felt lonely, and needed comfort. And there were only 2 people she knew could provie it. Focusing her mind, she searched out her parents' presence. Finding no one but herself in the hut, Krystal broadened her range, expanding her mind across the entire village. For a moment, she couldn't find her parents, it was like they'd vanished into thin air, but she soon found them again.

They, along with the other adults, were holed up in the large meeting hut at the edge of the village. Because she was still young, Krystal could not sense words, or audible thought like the adults, but felt the emotions keenly. Krystal's mother was clearly worried, Kayryn's emotions twisted and turned like someone was wringing her insides dry. Beside her Krystal's father Wyce was feeling agitated and restless. Though his daughter could not see it, Krystal imagined Wyce's red fur was bristling as his muscles rippled with excitement, just as she had seen it do a thousand times. The room in which the adults were gathered was full of those emotions. Restless hunters, anxious healers, panicking mothers and fathers all clumped together into one mass. Obviously she wasn't the only one affected by the previous nights events. Everyone in that room now proved that.

As her mind was occupied, a small rock sailed through the window and hit Krystal unceremoniously on the kit's head. Krystal cried out in pain and surprise, rubbing the place where the rock had connected. She glared at the window. Whoever had thrown that stone was going to get it! Picking up the projectile, she stomped to the sill and raised her arm to sling the rock through. But when she saw who it was below her she stopped and began to blush. A group of her friends stood in front of her house, waving impatiently. Among them was Symin and her best friend Jolynei, who everyone called Joly, a yellow furred female kit with long blond hair. But what made Krystal blush was standing on Joly's left. Torryn, a red fox who was 2 years older than Krystal. He was motioning her down along with the others, beckoning to her.

Krystal's heart did a pirouette as she met the Torryn's dark eyes. She had quite a crush on the older male. He was tall for his age, lean, extremely cute, and the young girl couldn't keep her eyes off him. Even though he was still young, Torryn was being trained as a hunter, and Krystal hoped to be in his hunting pack one day. Unfortunately, Krystal wasn't the only one with eyes for the red furred wonder. Every girl in the village wanted him for themselves, whether they were Krystal's age, or even older girls who were searching out worthy mates. It was only natural. After all, Torryn was the cheif's son. When the time came to chose a mate, he wouldn't be pressed for options.

"Krystal!" Joly called in a whisper to her friend. "Come here!"

"What is it?" Krystal responded, pretending to take her attention off Torryn's handsome face. "What's going on?"

"Just come on! We'll explain on the way!" the yellow furred girl hissed, brushing some strands of hair out of her face.

Krystal held up a finger and hurried out of her room and down the stairs. The chest covering rubbed against her back and repositioned the unwanted garment a little further down her chest. Rushing out into the sunlight, Krystal bounded up to her friends who were now standing in the shadows of a nearby house.

"Now, what's this about?" Krystal asked Joly curiously.

The girl looked around her to make sure no one was eavesdropping, then leaned in and whispered. "We heard some adults talking about those balls of fire that hit last night," Joly explained, leaning in closer to Krystal's ear. "They said one of the hunting parties found one!"

"Really?!" Krystal exclaimed excitedly.

"Ssssshhhhhhh!!!!"Her friends shushed her heatedly.

Krystal's ears went down in shame and she apologized for being so loud. "What'd they find?" she said a little more quietly.

Performing another quick check, Joly answered. "Rocks! Strange shaped ones that burn like wood, and smell like a thousand fires!"

Krystal's eyes widened slightly. "You mean, like in the old stories?" she asked tentatively.

Her friends nodded. "Yeah!" Symin piped up, cutting across Joly. "Only there's something different about these!" he added with the air of a traveling magician about to conjure up a jewel. A mysterious smile was plastered on the blue furred face that made Krystal even more curious. "They found charred bodies inside the rocks!"

Krystal gasped in awe and her eyes went wide with astonishment. "Bodies?!" she squealed. Again, her friends shushed her and she lowered her voice again. "You mean there were people _inside _the rocks?!" she whispered incredulously.

"Yeah!" Joly nodded, excitement in her voice.

Krystal's mind reeled from the possibilities that ran through her head. Her part in all of it temporarily forgotten, Krystal began babbling excitedly. "How many'd they find? Were there any survivors? What'd they look like?"

Joly's hand clamped over Krystal's muzzle, cutting off the relentless stream of questions being thrown at her. "There was only about 3 or 4 bodies, and they were each burned to a crisp, unrecognizable." The kit released Krystal's mouth and continued. "They brought the bodies back to the village late last night! This morning they called a special meeting at the Council's Chambers. We think that's what they're talking about!"

Krystal found time between her excited thoughts to be a little confused. She gave her friends a quizzical look. "So? Are we going to go listen in?"

Torryn, who had been silent up until now, spoke up in his deepening voice. "No, we already tried that. We got chased away by the guards."

Krystal raised her voice to its normal level again and asked, "Then why are we whispering?" A loud "shhhhh!!!" sounded for the third time and Krystal was pulled down into a huddle.

"Because!" Joly whispered harshly, checking the area again. "We're going to go see for ourselves, that's why!" Krystal's eyes widened further with shock and pulled Joly's hand off her muzzle.

"You mean your gonna go looking for those bodies?" The very thought of black, burned, lifeless bodies made Krystal's stomach turn, and she showed it by putting a hand over her stomach and sticking out her long pink tongue in disgust.

Joly shook her head. "No, No! We can't get to those! They're in the shaman's house, under guard!" Krystal shook her head in confusion and Joly lowered her voice even further, if that was possible. "I think I know where another fireball hit!"

"And we're going to find it!" Symin yipped.

Krystal's mouth opened and she smiled a broad smile. "Really? Can I come, too?"

The trio just smirked at her. "Why would we have come to tell you if you weren't coming?" Torryn grinned.

Krystal shrugged at their logic, and with a grin the foursome sped off toward the forest, laughing excitedly to one another. With most of the adults in their meeting, it gave the 4 curious fox cubs the chance to slip away unnoticed in search of a new wonder.

"So," Krystal called to Joly when they were safely enclosed on all sides by forest trees. "Which way do we go?"

Jogging ahead of the group, Joly answered Krystal's question. "It landed over by the cliff! So, we're going north!"

"That's not so far!" Symin yipped, swinging off a nearby tree branch.

"Still, it'll be at least an hour!" Torryn informed his traveling companions. "We should slow down, or we'll ware ourselves out before we've gone a quarter of a mile!"

Joly flashed turned her head in Torryn's direction, and flashed a flirtatious smile. "Your hunter's training kicking in, Torryn?"

"Hopefully," Torryn chuckled in response. "I'm not doing it for kicks and giggles, you know!"

"Speaking of which," Symin changed the subject. "Don't you have training today, Torryn?"

"My master's part of the meeting," Torryn explained gleefully. "No master, no training."

_Later that Morning_

The morning sun crept in through the cave entrance, flooding the dark enclosure with a warm light. In the shallow alcove's solitary chamber, a walnut colored vulpine was slumped against the far wall. It was still dark inside the cave, and the aging fox's snores echoed off the walls. The cave's short passage curved to the left, so very little light entered the inner sanctum of the cave. Despite this, the fox began to stir, and his snoring became heavy breathing. The vulpine grunted as he returned to consciousness, looking around, alarmed by his surroundings. He was disoriented and his shoulder still hurt like hell. Shaking his head to clear it of fatigue, the walnut colored fox rose shakily to his feet, picking up the blaster pistol from its place beside him on the cave floor and sticking the barrel into his fatigue pocket. He could see barely anything of his surroundings. Normally, he had good night vision, but the sunglasses he'd neglected to remove made it impossible to use it effectively. He always seemed to be forgetting to take off the sunglasses. In fact, it had become his signature look.

The alien fox rubbed his shoulder gently and winced in pain. He must have dislocated it in the crash. Using his good hand to pull the glasses down to the edge of his nose so he could see, the fox started for the exit. His body ached in protest, but he ignored the pain. He had to get a bearing on where he was, and more rest wasn't a luxury he could afford. Those Venom goons could have survived, and if they had, they were probably already searching for him.

Emerging into the late morning sun, the vulpine had to squint to keep from being blinded. He pushed the sunglasses up on his nose again and relief was given to his tired eyes. A few yards away lay the crashed Arwing, its pointed white nose buried in the ground. The canopy had mercifully remained intact, although it was cracked in many places. The fox walked over to the downed craft and used his good arm to raise the canopy, easing into the pilot seat. He began the Arwing's start-up sequence, and the state-of-the-art fighter's onboard systems buzzed to life, making several fizzing sounds as the main computer came online. The fox frowned, the console was on, but the monitor was fuzzy, and he definitely didn't like those fizzing and buzzing sounds.

He began running a Full System's Diagnostic, and hopped out of the cockpit, gasping in pain as his dislocated shoulder sent a sharp pain through his body. He swore and decided that before anything else could be accomplished, he'd have to do something about his shoulder. He knew what he had to do, but was hesitant to do it. The pain of replacing a dislocated shoulder was extreme, even when done properly. Using the mediaeval method he was thinking of, it'd be almost unbearable. But since there was no one around to help him, and he didn't want to leave the Arwing to go find help that might not be there.

Sighing in a "I'm-going-to-regret-this" sort of way, the vulpine faced the rock wall in front of him. Knowing he'd have to hit it just right for this to work, he repositioned his shoulder at an angle to the wall. When he was satisfied the angle was right, the walnut fox took a deep breath and began sprinting towards the wall. As he neared the smooth cliff side, he shut his eyes and braced himself. He smacked hard into the wall, and there was a loud crackling sound as the shoulder popped back into place.

The fox screamed in agony as his shoulder exploded with pain. "SON OF A...BITCH! SON OF A MOTHER-FUCKING BITCH! DAMN IT TO HELL!" The vulpine continued his long stream of obscenities for several minutes, clutching his shoulder, and spurting out every curse word he knew. Eventually though, the pain receded to a dull throb, and the fox relaxed against the cliff. Blood was leaking down his arm, and soaking through his flight uniform. He had probably cut his shoulder when he rammed the wall. A similar bloody mark had been left on the cliff face. The fox removed the scarf from around his neck, and tied it tightly about his injured shoulder, the scarlet fabric becoming a darker crimson. He winced as the dried sweat on the garment rubbed into the cut, but it was nothing he couldn't handle.

The fox removed the belt from the loops of his green-flight fatigues, and slipped the leather strap around his neck, slipping the forearm of his bad shoulder to mcguyver a makeshift sling. He would probably need some ice or at the very least cold water to keep the swelling down; however, and he began looking around for a stream or river he could wash off in. He spotted one about 150 yards away. It had to be a river, or else he wouldn't have bee able to see it, and he began a long trudge toward the water. He felt a little uneasy about leaving the Arwing, but he'd only be gone a few minutes, and it certainly wasn't going anywhere. Shrugging off the cautionary warnings in his mind, the walnut furred vulpine continued towards the river in the distance.

When he reached the river's edge, he found that it flowed out from a waterfall, it's white torrents dispersing into smooth currents of liquid. The fox knelt down on the riverbank and untied the scarf from around his shoulder. He placed the blood-soaked neckerchief on the bank beside him and gingerly removed his flight jacket, revealing a short jagged cut that was bleeding slightly. It could have been much worse, since a little further down was a large bruise. And bruises and cuts didn't mix.

He set about cleaning the wound, splashing several handfuls of chilly water on it. The water wasn't as cold as he'd first thought, and he knew to keep any swelling down, he'd half to take quick dip. Since he didn't have a means of drying off, that was a bit of a problem, but necessity outweighed personal comfort, and he began to strip. There was no one around to witness his nakedness, and he hesitantly eased himself into the frigid water. The fox began to shiver, but in a way he felt a sort of relief in the currents of the unknown pool.

The area was more than wide enough to swim around in, and he floated stiffly in the water, letting it soak through his fur and numb his shoulder. It had been a long time since he'd been swimming. He supposed the last time had been at a rec center on Corneria. He had taken Fox and a couple of his school chums there on a hot day to cool off. He and the boys had wrestled around in the water, splashing and hollering as the three younger boys tried to drag him beneath the surface. Falco Lombardi in particular had given him a hard time, being a little more toned than Fox, Bill, or Slippy.

Falco was one of those boys most people didn't approve of. He was loud, obnoxious, cocky, and hung out with entirely the wrong sort of crowd. But in spite of his many faults, Falco was someone who was very hard not to like. He was friendly enough, outgoing, and he always seemed to have a smile on his face. The avian teenager with blue-feathers also seemed to have a knack for flying. Several times he'd shown up at the McCloud residence on a hover bike, performing some spectacular maneuver then coming to a halt in the drive way. Lombardi was a natural born pilot, and if he cleaned up his act, the walnut colored vulpine was sure the avian would go places. When Falco grew up some more, he might even offer the avian a place on Star Fox. They could always use a pilot with a high skill level like Lombardi's.

The vulpine chuckled to himself. Perhaps he should have said "if" instead of "when" he got back. Assuming this wasn't Corneria, which was becoming less likely as time wore on because of the absence of jet noise, there was little to no chance he could fly back there in a damaged starfighter, even one as sophisticated as an Arwing. He'd need to make some major repairs before even attempting takeoff, let alone space travel. He didn't even know if he was still in the Lylat System anymore! For all he knew he could be in another galaxy! Who knew where that black hole had dumped him! In theory, the was no limit to the places a back hole could spit something out!

The brown furred fox ducked underwater for a moment to clear his head, and he tried to think positively. _Guess I could be on Papetoon..._ he thought. _It's somewhat of a forest planet, I could be in one of the more heavily wooded areas._ The thought was comforting, but didn't hold much solace for the despairing vulpine. If he was on Papetoon, he'd have run into someone by now or seen a ship flying overhead. Not to mention the very distinguishable difference in the color of the soil. Papetoon's dirt was always a glaring shade of orangish-red, this soil was rich, cool, and dark.

_Maybe Fortuna..._ he thought again. _Fortuna's a lot like this. _It was true that Fortuna was very similar to this, but with one major difference: Fortuna was a jungle planet, not a forest one. The rest of the planets in Lylat weren't viable candidates. They were either barren planets with no forests to speak of, or they were covered by water. The vulpine felt himself becoming a little depressed. He thought of Peppy, his best friend, who he had helped escape before being captured again. _He probably thinks I'm dead,_ he thought. _And he's probably already told Fox..._ The thought of his 15 year old son brought a small tear to the vulpine's eye.

Poor Fox. Thankfully he hadn't been much older than 3 when Vixy had died. He hadn't known her long enough to be truly effected by her death, but it had still hit him pretty hard. The walnut fox still remembered the day of his wife's funeral. It had been an open casket service, and he recalled perfectly his son's innocent question: "Daddy? Why is Mommy sleeping?" He had simply looked at the young pup sadly and hugged him closer to him, as his son began to sob into his jacket. If he could be that affected at such a young age by the death of his mother, who knows what repercussions it could have on his life now? Would his son drop out of the academy and go after Andross? He hoped not. Fox had such a promising future ahead of him!

He was first in his class in every subject, and could out fly even Falco. He wasn't as social as some, but he had his moments, especially around Slippy, Falco, and Bill, as well as a certain vixen classmate named Fara Phoenix. But he was impulsive. He followed his heart, sometimes letting it overwhelm his better judgement. In short, Fox was a miniature version of his father. And the vulpine knew what he, himself would do in his son's position. He'd take the fight straight to Andross, and pummel him into nothingness. And Fox was in a good position to do just that. As his next of kin, Fox would inherit all of his father's money and equipment, as well as the Dreadnought-class ship his father had commissioned. Peppy would be sympathetic to Fox's cause, and would probably help his godson obtain ships to fly. They'd probably form a rag-tag team of guerillas, recruiting Slippy Toad, Falco Lombardi, Bill Grey, and Fara Phoenix, bent on avenging his death! Then they'd all reach Venom and get shot down, just like he had! They'd all be captured and tortured, maybe even killed!

The vulpine shook his head furiously, trying to keep his mind clear. He needed a distraction, something that would take his mind off his loved ones. Judging that he'd been in the water for quite long enough, the walnut colored fox swam quickly ashore and began drying off. He gave a good long shake like primitive animals had once done, and rubbed himself down with his boxers. A little gross, but the only non-essential in his limited array of clothing.

Thanks to his time in the cold water, his shoulder no longer hurt, and his whole body was pleasantly numb. He redressed himself and washed the drying blood from his scarf and flight jacket as best he could. He wrapped the neckerchief back around his wounded shoulder and slipped the jacket back on. The water was soothing to the shoulder, and he replaced his aviators on his nose, heading back towards the Arwing. He could only hope nothing had happened to it.

_Meanwhile_...

"Were almost there!" Joly called over her shoulder to her friends who were hot on her heels.

Symin gave a loud "phfftt" of relief. "Finally!" he said exasperatedly. "You said it'd only take us an hour to get there, and its been at least 2!"

Joly glared over her shoulder at the young pup. "Well, if _somebody_ hadn't forced us to stop so often, maybe we would've gotten there sooner!"

Symin returned her glare and spat frustratedly. "Well, if someone hadn't forced us to run so fast, maybe I wouldn't have needed all those breaks!"

Joly looked like she was going to respond, but instead turned her nose up and looked away. Looking smug, Symin turned to look at Krystal. She looked uneasy and Symin ran up next to her. "Krystal? Are you alright?"

Krystal didn't respond for a moment. She couldn't explain it, but she felt a strange sense of danger in the area the tiny group was approaching. Krystal worried as to what could cause this sensation, and considered telling her friends to turn back. However, she didn't want to be seen as a coward in front of any of her friends, especially Torryn. Krystal turned and smiled at Symin. "I'm fine. Just excited." Krystal did her best to shield her thoughts from Symin's telepathy. She wasn't proficient at the skill, but it seemed to work as Symin nodded and dropped the subject. But as soon as he did, Krystal's mind flew back to the strange feeling she had. It was just a faint sensation, but she did feel it. She prayed it was nothing, but that did nothing to quell her fear.

Ahead of them, Joly slowed down and stopped by a nearby tree. The forest was thinning a bit as they drew nearer to the cliff bottom. Krystal and the rest of her friends gathered around Joly, and the knelt down to huddle and catch their breath. "Everyone ready?" Joly asked drawing her long hair out of her eyes and looking to each face in turn.

"All set," Torryn nodded, looking eager.

"Yeah, let's go!" Symin yipped. Krystal merely nodded.

Joly stood up again, her yellow fur flashing in the sun. "We should probably be careful. We don't know what might be there when we find it.

"If we find it," Torryn sighed a little pessimistically. "There's no guarantee that its here."

Joly gave the older boy an indignant look. "What? You don't believe me?"

Torryn put up his hands in a defensive gesture. "That's not what I meant! I just meant you _could_ have been mistaken about where it landed."

Joly turned her nose up at him and "hm" 'd offendedly. She put her tail up in the air and began to walk slowly out into the clearing. Torryn groaned and he and the group rushed after her.

As the 4 vulpines cleared the tree line, they found them selves faced with a long trench. It ran east to west, skipping over patches of ground now and again. Joly turned to Torryn and stuck out her tongue. "Told you!" she smiled smugly. Torryn gave a defeated look and kicked a small stone into the skid mark. In the distance, they could make out a long white object sticking up out of the ground. Symin gave an excited yelp and sped off in its direction, the group right on his tail.

Krystal's vague sense of danger was becoming more intense as she ran along the side of the torn earth. She was beginning to get a headache as well, which was a hindrance to her. How was supposed to think with this pain in her head? The pain became even worse the as they neared the strangely shaped object, and Krystal rubbed her forehead tenderly. She hoped this was a random occurrence, but she was having a hard time believing that.

After several minutes of running, the group finally came to a halt before the peculiar sight. The "rock" they had found, didn't look very much like a rock. It was a pointy looking thing, sleek and shiny, and someone seemed to have painted it, because the there were many discolored areas that shone a dull gray. There was a strangely shaped jewel embedded in the top, and the back end was covered with strange indentations.

The group stood there in awe for a minute or so, taking in the wondrous object before them. They each moved off to a different angle, examining the strange rock. "What do you suppose it is?" Symin wondered aloud.

"I don't know," Joly answered as she looked touched the strange material of the white surface. "But I don't think it's a rock."

"Agreed," Said Torryn closing in on the back end of the thing. A pointed blue triangle on to the top right was glowing a soft green color. Just as a red furred hand extended to touch the light, there was a loud help of pain as Symin fell to the ground, clutching his arm.

The group immediately rushed over to the wailing vulpine and tried to ascertain the problem. He clutched his forearm more insistently and moaned loudly. "Ow! My arm! My arm!"

"What happened?" Krystal asked concerned, trying to get her friend to talk to her. "Symin! What's wrong with your arm? Did you hurt it?"

Symin shook his head and moaned again. "I–I– I put it— on that broken part there— and–!" Symin gasped in pain. "And- It was hot like fire! And now— my arm is tingling all over!"

As the pain began to recede he sat up and looked at his hand. The fingers were red, but other than that it looked normal. "Are you going to be alright?" Krystal enquired after her friends well being.

Symin nodded. "I think so. Thanks Krystal." Krystal smiled as best she could through the headache and the group once again approached the enigmatic structure.

"Let's be sure not to touch anything suspicious!" Joly warned her friends as she climbed up on the narrow end and made her way towards the cracked crystalline covering. Krystal too climbed up, nearer the back end, and examined the peculiar markings that had been tattooed onto the side. A strange looking animal, much like a fox, with a peculiar appendage jutting from its top was depicted there. A little further down there was a gold circle with two crimson symbols emblazoned on it with little blue wings sticking out at either end.

Joly began pulling at the underside of the canopy, and drew back in surprise as it drew up easily at her touch. Inside was a small alcove with a long padded chair. A surface inside was glowing in a thousand colors, and various sticks and buttons and levers lined the interior. The controls in front of her buzzed and beeped as Joly slid down into the chair. The young fox's face took on a look of wonder as she bounced up and down on the chair's fabric.

"Wow! This is really soft!" Joly turned her face upwards to meet Krystal's gaze. "You got to try this!"

Smiling excitedly Krystal slid down next to her friend, who made room for her in the cushioned seat. Joly was right, it was a very comfortable chair, and Krystal bounced on it gleefully. Symin watched the two girls play with envy. "I call next!" he exclaimed, wanting a turn in the extra comfortable seat.

"Yeah, in a minute!" Krystal teased, continuing to bounce. Joly stopped bouncing for a moment and put her hands on the large stick jutting out of the floor. All of a sudden there was a loud whirring sound and the thing lurched beneath them. Both girls squealed with fright and surprise and Symin gave a startled yelp as he fell to the ground. A loud beeping filled their ears, and a new box appeared on the screen in front of them.

The two pups eyed the long stick warily. It looked harmless enough, but it obviously was more important than they'd first thought. "Hey!" Torryn's voice called. "What'd you do?"

Krystal stuck her head out and answered, "Joly touched this big stick in here and it lurched!"

Torryn quickly climbed up onto the hull and examined the interior. He frowned at the stick and reached for it gingerly. Cautiously, he extended 1 finger and poked it. There was another loud whir and the craft lurched again, sending Torryn toppling head first onto Krystal's lap. Normally, such close proximity would have caused Krystal to blush, but given the circumstances, she just wanted to be sure he was okay.

"Torryn! Are you alright?" Krystal asked concerned. Torryn pushed himself up and climbed out of the her lap, looking slightly frightened.

"Yes. I'm okay." he said, rubbing his head. Torryn looked back at the stick. "That things dangerous!"

Krystal gazed wonderingly at it, and then at the flashing screen. Strange letters and symbols were emblazoned in red. She couldn't read them, but she could certainly tell what they meant. Red was a universal sign for danger. "Maybe we'd better tamper with this." Joly said unexpectedly. Krystal looked at her friend in astonishment, surprised such a thing had escaped the girl's lips. Joly was the adventurous one! She always did the dangerous stuff no one else would do. They were partners in that respect. Krystal wasn't as big a daredevil as Joly, but she had done a fair share of dangerous stunts. The two friends pushed each other to be better. They were best friends, but they were also rivals, and they competed in almost everything. In fact, they had an unspoken competition for Torryn's affections and attention in progress. So for Joly to say something like: "Maybe we shouldn't tamper with this," was an extreme lapse in character.

Joly began climbing out into the open air, reaching a hand down to help Krystal out. "Come on, Krystal! Let's go!" Krystal remained where she was, looking confusedly up at her friend. Joly looked almost frightened. "Krystal? Didn't you hear me? I said: let's go!" Krystal's mouth opened slightly and a frown crossed her face.

Joly sighed exhaperatedly and grabbed her friends hand. "Krystal! What's the matter with you?" Krystal shook her head and stood up, following her friend out. Joly was looking at her with concern. "Krystal? Are you okay?"

Krystal nodded and chuckled in a nervous manner. "Yes, I'm fine. I just blanked out for a moment."

"Hey!" called Symin's voice from over by the cliff wall. "You guys better have a look at this!" The groups attention turned to the young fox cub, he was pointing at dark stain on the wall. Krystal peered at it with narrowed eyes. It looked an awful lot like...

"Blood!" exclaimed Torryn, dropping to the ground and rushing over to the wall to examine the stain. He sniffed it and put a finger to the place the blood had spurted. Turning back to the girls, he shouted, "It's fresh! Someone or something has been here within the last half hour!" Krystal and Joly's faces turned slightly pale and they turned to one another.

"Do you sense anything Krystal?" Joly demanded fearfully.

Krystal closed her eyes and tried to concentrate, doing her best to zero in on any presences. It proved next to impossible to sense anything through the pain in her head; however, and she gave up with an exasperated sight.

She turned to Joly and shook her head. Joly's expression became slightly more relaxed. "Good! Let's get out of here before it comes back!" Taking Krystal's arm, the girl slid down the side of the mass, catching the blue girl off balance. Krystal pulled back and Joly let go her grip, sending Krystal sprawling back inside with a yelp. Her foot found the long stick, and the craft gave another sharp jerk. This time; however, instead of an alarm blaring, the back end began giving off sparks, crackling and sputtering. There was a long drooping tone and the lights on the panel went out.

As he approached the clearing where he'd left his downed fighter, there was a loud crackling sound, followed by several loud screams. His eyes went wide with fear and the walnut furred fox instinctively drew his blaster and charged up to his ship. 3 small foxes in loin cloths were standing around the Arwing, and another was climbing up out of the cockpit.

"Hey!" he shouted furious. "Get away from there!" 4 heads turned to face him. A red furred pup by the rock face, yelled something indiscernible to his fellows and they all began to scatter towards the forest.

"Wait!" The vulpine gave chase to the fleeing group, intent on capturing one to get some intel on his current whereabouts. They were pretty fast, and his body was still not at 100 %, and he found himself almost out of breath as he closed in on a blue furred boy who was lagging behind. He dived and missed, landing on his good shoulder and dropping his firearm. The blue fox disappeared into the trees, climbing into the higher branches with incredible ease.

The brown fox eased himself up onto his knees, taking care of his bruised shoulder. He was panting and he wiped a dribble of spit from his mouth. He was so close! There was a rustling behind him, and he turned to see another of the group sprawled out on the ground, clutching her head in pain.

From inside the tree cover a high pitched voice called out, "Krystal! Hferi eitnt!" The walnut fox stood up and rushed over to the tall girl who had begun to seize. This had suddenly become a lot more serious than a simple recon.

Krystal's mind flashed many different colors before her eyes. She had no sense of place or time, and was only dimly aware of anything. She remembered she had been running from the stranger who had appeared suddenly, when the pain in her head peeked. It had been so intense and so sudden, she had stumbled and crashed heavily to the ground.

As she lay there, she could feel her mind bursting in her head, tearing off pieces of her skull in an attempt to get free of her body. Everything was becoming larger, more pronounced, the land she lived in was no longer a vast place, it was tiny and insignificant. As insignificant as an ant she squashed underneath her toes.

Images of things she couldn't remember ever seeing or doing rushed by in short bursts. A beautiful sandy furred vixen lay beneath her, moaning softly. The same vixen was holding a tiny pup in her arms, cradling it affectionately. The same pup, now much older was standing beside her on a cliff overlooking a vast sparkling ocean. Then a blue avian jumped onto her back, while the boy, a toad, and a brown dog wrestled her into the water, pinning her to a hard floor. Then she was back inside the strange bird-like rock, only she was flying through space! On either side similar objects were cruising in formation. As she looked at each in turn, the face of a gray hare, and a jolly faced pig flashed across her vision.

Then she was surrounded, strange looking ships all around her. She was following the pigs ship into a tunnel leading underground. Then she was going down, a large monkey leering maniacally at her. She was on a cold slab, pain erupting through every pour as she was tortured mercilessly. Then she was in space again. Red fire flashed all around her. She had to make it to the black hole! There was a bright light, then she blacked out.

The walnut colored vulpine pried open the girl's mouth. She had stopped seizing now, but she had also stopped breathing, and that was worse! He pinched her nose, and put his mouth to hers. He exhaled into her lungs and began pressing down on her chest. He had to perform CPR for several minutes, but the blue girl finally began to cough and her eyes fluttered open, keeling over to wretch.

The brown fox backed off slightly to give her the air she needed. He put a hand to his chest and breathed a sigh of relief. _That was a close one!_ he thought thankfully. The girl seemed to be recovering somewhat and he edged forward again. "Are you alright?" he asked tentatively.

Krystal looked at the stranger in astonishment. Up until now, what he had said had made absolutely no sense to her. Yet now she understood perfectly! In fact, his whole persona was cast into sharp relief in her mind! His concern for her well being, his confusion at his whole situation, even his need to understand what damage they had caused to his...vessel? The word was familiar to Krystal as referring to a boat or canoe, but she realized that in this particular instance, he meant the strange thing sticking up out of the ground.

She rubbed her chest and looked the man over. His clothes were the strangest she'd ever scene! He wore something he identified as a "jacket" that covered his arms and shoulders. No one in her village wore more than loin cloths and chest covering! His legs were covered by "fatigues," "socks," and "boots" with a "belt" around his waist. Under his jacket he wore a "shirt" and a pair of "boxers" stuck out of his jacket pocket. His eyes were the strangest of all, they were covered by "sunglasses," which made them appear black. A lot of information was flowing like river rapids into her mind, and it was a lot to take in. Words like: "Arwing" and "blaster," and names and faces such as: "Fox," "Peppy," and "Pigma." The last name was accompanied by a strong sense of hatred that Krystal felt course through her body like fire.

Krystal clutched her head slightly and grunted. The walnut fox next to her became concerned and took her by the shoulders. "Hey! I said are you alright?"

Krystal looked up and answered in his language. "Yes, I think so."

The stranger drew back in amazement. "Woah! You can speak Lylatian?" Clearly the idea astounded him. "I thought everyone here spoke that language I heard those other 3 spouting a minute ago!" He sat back on his haunches and wiped his forehead metaphorically. "Whew! What a relief!"

Krystal turned her still evolving head towards the stranger. She watched as he stood up, and offered her his hand. "Need a hand?" he enquired. She took the proffered arm and he pulled Krystal to her feet. He looked down at her with a more serious expression and cleared his throat. "Now then, My name is James McCloud. I'm the leader of the Star Fox Team, and I need you to tell me where I am."

Krystal looked at James McCloud with a curious expression. She didn't quite know how to answer his question. She sensed that any answer she could provide wouldn't be satisfactory to the vulpine stranger. Probing his thoughts to obtain some much needed information, she began hesitantly. "I don't think your where you want to be," she answered slowly.

James gave the girl a quizzical look. "Um, okay. What do you mean by that?" James gestured around to their surroundings. "Do you mean here specifically, or this area, or... what?"

Krystal bit her lip and began again. "I don't think you're in the Lylat System." Her words barely made sense. She didn't understand what a lot of what was in his mind and she was becoming tired from over exertion of her knew advanced telepathy.

James nodded slowly, folding his arms and running his tongue around his mouth. "That's what I was afraid of." he said thoughtfully.

**So there's the next chapter of Krystal of Cerinia! Hope you liked it! Leave a review!**


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